If I Were Going...: Moosecapade 2018

My favorite baby Moose

Every year, Caty and I try to get to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) for what we call Moosecapade. Our big one was in 2015, where we had more than 70 sightings in 48 hours. We haven’t accomplished that level again yet. Note: all pictures are taken in June 2018 unless noted.

But, 2018 was pretty good. We didn’t have the volume and we definitely didn’t have as many close encounters. But, we did get some great photos of a mama and baby walking down a country road.

So adorable

As I have talked about before, Colorado is a fabulous place for moose – and there is no better spot than the west side of RMNP.

See the two moose?

Well, that’s the best place for cows and calves. Brainard Lake and Grand Lake are best for bull moose. The best time to see cows and calves in late May/early June, when the babies are tiny.

Mother and baby

Bulls are better in September when their antlers are big.

Bull Moose, Grand Lake, September 2015

Lately, more and more moose are being spotted on the east side of the Rockies – sometimes even in Colorado Springs (although that is very rare).

Moose may or may not have originally lived here and they certainly didn’t have a presence in Colorado in the early 1900s. Yes, there were many reports of vagrant moose that wandered in (and out) from Wyoming, but there were no permanent moose populations. That was a shame because Colorado’s high country is excellent moose habitat.

Beaver Ponds, West Side, Rocky Mountain National Park

Back in 1978 (just four years after my first -- and mooseless – visit to RMNP), a dozen moose were introduced near Walden. For reasons not fully understood, the Colorado moose population has taken off while moose populations dwindle in Montana, Wyoming and Minnesota.

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the state's moose population tops 3,000, up about 30 percent in the past five years.

Grand Lake, September 2015

In Wyoming, a brain-attacking worm is suspected as a factor as a population that once topped 2,000 but has declined to several hundred. Another positive factor for Colorado may be the relative lack of natural predators in our high country. Colorado wildlife biologists say they've documented only a few cases of black bears and mountain lions killing small moose. Of course, grizzlies live in Montana and Wyoming.

According to the National Park Service (direct quotes in italics, my observations in regular type):

Moose (Alces alces) are the largest members of the deer family. On average, an adult moose stands between five and seven feet high at the shoulder. Large males can weigh as much as 1,500 pounds while females are roughly three-quarters of this size.

Bull Moose, Grand Lake, September 2015

Both sexes have chocolate-brown fur (the fur actually varies from lightish brown to almost black -- and their hind legs can be almost white), a humped shoulder, a bulbous nose and a ball of skin, called a "bell," that hangs from their neck (this "bell" is also called a "dewlap”).

Longest dewlap I have seen, bull moose, Grand Lake, September 2015

The long legs of moose allow them to travel through deep snow and even swim in deep water. They also use their legs to kick predators or maneuver over obstacles on the ground.

Young moose getting tangled in her own long legs

Bulls grow large palmate antlers which can reach five feet across and weigh up to 77 pounds. They use antlers during the fall mating season to spar or fight with other males as they compete for mates. Cows do not have antlers, but they select a bull based on his antler size. Male calves have little knobs where antlers will grow.

After the mating season, bulls begin dropping their antlers in the late fall to conserve energy for the winter. The antlers begin to grow again in early spring. They take three to five months to fully develop and are covered with velvety skin during this time.

Bulls, left, with freshly exposed antlers; right, losing velvet, Grand Lake, September 2015

The size and growth of antlers depends on diet and age. Symmetrical antlers reflect the general health of the bull. Antlers typically grow back larger each year.

Moose are usually solitary, unlike most other members of the deer family. They aren't territorial and tolerate other animals in their area. They rarely travel with more than one or two other moose, but cows exhibit the strongest bonds with their calves and are extremely protective of them. It is not unusual to see cows with last year’s calf or to see young siblings together.

Perhaps siblings

Females have an eight-month gestation period and will usually bear one or two calves in early summer. Newborn moose have red fur when born and will stay with their mother for a year.

Moose calf, RMNP, June 2016

Moose are generally browsers and eat leaves, stems, buds and bark of woody shrubs and trees. They prefer willow, aspen and aquatic plants. Moose can eat up to 70 pounds of food per day. Moose live between 15-25 years.

Feeding on willow

Bulls and cows are equally unpredictable. During the mating season, bull moose are known to charge and females are particularly protective of calves at all times. Moose can top speeds of 35 miles per hour.

I took two Moosecapade trips this year. One with Caty – and one the following week with fellow birders Sue Meiler and Cathy Bondy.

Me, Cathy and Sue on the top of Trail Ridge Road

On both, I saw predominantly females …

Drinking

And yearlings …

A youngster crossing the street

I was fortunate to see at least three calves – very small ones that were only a few weeks old at the most.

Calf

I did see a number of males with tiny, early antlers and one male with some really large antlers for so early in the season. He should be very impressive in September.

Bull

Plus, every year, we see a truly distinctive moose – this year’s had to be the one with the droopy ear. I have no idea what happened.

Funky ear

When I was with Caty, a pair of young moose came running toward us as we were walking on a game trail – we had a few moments of stress.

Cow

The same thing happened when I was with Sue and Cathy – and it may have been the same moose. This time, however, we were in the picnic area. By the time we saw the moose approaching, we couldn’t get back to the car, so we just hugged an information sign, thinking we could move to one side or the other depending on when the moose decided which way to go. One got within 10 feet before walking off. THAT was a moment!!

Not cropped!

Both times, I stayed at the Historic Rapids Lodge in Grand Lake. It’s a nice option – reasonably priced, often many bed options in a room (one room had a queen and a futon; the other had a queen, futon and bunks), and full kitchens. The hotel has a nice restaurant and a lovely place to sit by the rapids that flow past the back of the hotel (hence the name). Oddly, when Caty and I went and had a yummy snack of baked brie, the river was teeming with American Dippers – and I didn’t have my camera! When Sue, Cathy and I went, no Dippers!

North Inlet, behind Historic Rapids Lodge

An added bonus of staying in Grand Lake and doing an early morning drive – Caty and I saw a moose in town!

Town Moose (note the small antlers on this one)

Often people will tell you that the ONLY time you’ll see moose is early morning or dusk. That’s not true. I have seen them all times of day. Caty and I have discovered, however, that they do shy away from direct, hot sunshine. They have very dark coats, so they seek shade when it is sunny. So, dawn and dusk have higher sighting opportunities and overcast is good.

Cow

When Caty and I went, we started out in Estes Park with a class on falcons at the Rocky Mountain Conservancy.

The Conservancy offers excellent wildlife courses and this was no exception. Our instructor, Perry Conway, used to be a falconer and he brought his (now retired) Gyrfalcon, American Kestrel and Peregrine Falcon (plus, a Gila Monster!).

The most interesting thing I learned in the class is that falcons have a bony tubercle (cone) that bisects each nostril. That’s important because falcons hunt in the air and often dive from great heights at tremendous speeds (sometimes approaching 300 mph) to nab a meal. The air pressure from such a dive could possibly damage a bird's lungs, but the tubercles guide the shock waves of the air entering the nostrils, enabling the bird to breathe by reducing the change in air pressure. Cones used in jet engines have a similar design. I never noticed these tubercles, but when I looked back at old pictures, there they were!

Merlin, prairie east of Colorado Springs, February 2018 (look closely at the nostrils)

Caty and I also stopped by the Estes Park Library parking lot to see the famous Great Horned Owls that nest there. The owlets had grown and looked to be right on the edge of fledging ...

Great camouflage

... and, indeed, we heard that one left the nest the next day. They put on quite a show, hopping and flapping and testing their strength.

Look at that wingspan

They were consistently attended by mom ...

Mom and baby

... and dad even showed up for a while.

Dad

As usual, we talked to people in the parking lot who were also following the owls. It is always interesting to meet people who frequently visit RMNP, but NEVER go past the top of Trail Ridge Road. Such a shame. There is great stuff on the west side.

And, there was great stuff. We are still looking for twin baby moose – no luck yet. But, the babies we saw were cute. The one we saw most frequently (about five different times) was with a collared mom.

Collared

Fortunately, with Photoshop, I could remove the collar from most pictures.

We saw this pair walking a road in the early morning …

Back to my favorites

Hiding in the shade …

A little one

And frolicking (well, the baby was; I don’t think adult moose frolic) across the river …

Calf

We also saw an adorable baby frolicking around its mother in a big open field. Unfortunately, the sun had set and it was too dark for photos!

When I went with Sue and Cathy, we came in from the west, stopping first at Mount Evans (which I will blog about next). We went to see Mountain Goats, Bighorn Sheep and Pikas. All we saw were a few American Pipits and the ubiquitous Yellow-Bellied Marmots (including one that sought shelter under our car until I chased it away so we wouldn’t run over it).

Mount Evans Marmot

Such a disappointment! Especially since a trip two weeks later was phenomenal!

But, back to the trip with Sue and Cathy … We saw fewer moose, but we did get a pretty good sampling. We didn’t do an early morning cruise, so, I suspect that that was the main difference. In addition to the close encounter with the two young moose, we also had an incident where we were yelled at for “scaring moose off” with our car. Since the scared moose was only about 12 feet from the folks who were photographing it (with their cell phones), I suspect they were way too close before the moose "ran away." I personally have never seen a moose scared off by cars or people. But, they felt they needed to chew us out.

Grazing

After we had seen enough moose (okay, there is never a case where you see enough), we decided to head to the top of Trail ridge in search of White-tailed Ptarmigan. This is the only ptarmigan that lives in Colorado and can be tricky to find because it hides in rocks and is perfectly camouflaged.

Ptarmigan

Also known as the Snow Quail, the White-tailed Ptarmigan is the smallest bird in the grouse family. The birds live at high altitudes at or above the tree line. Native to Alaska and the Rocky Mountains, it is the only bird in North America to reside permanently in the alpine zone.

A new bird for me

Because the White-Tailed Ptarmigan lives on the open tundra, it flies more than other grouse but it still prefers running to flying. Adults are about 12 inches long, with the males slightly larger than the females. Plumage varies at different times of the year. In the summer it is speckled in gray, brown and white and, in winter, it is pure white. During transition times, it is a mix of white and brown.

Ptarmigan

The belly and tail are always white and it has feathered legs. Males can be identified by their reddish fleshy growths above the eye called eyecombs. Generally silent but, the White-Tailed Ptarmigan sometimes hoots or clucks.

We took a walk along a trail where Sue had seen a female before and, once again, saw nothing but American Pipits and Yellow-Bellied Marmots ...

Marmot and Pipit

... plus some White-Crowned Sparrows and Horned Larks (I had always thought Horned Larks were prairie birds, but was surprised to find they also live in alpine areas; I didn't get a picture of one up there).

White-crowned Sparrow

The hike was gorgeous. Sunny with a great view of the Rockies ...

Off of Trail Ridge Road

... and some gorgeous tundra flowers.

High elevation flowers

Then, we decided to give it one more try on the Tundra Trail, which is pretty much at the top of Trail Ridge in the 11,000-12,000-foot zone.

At the top of the park

The wind picked up, so walking was slow. And, at that extreme altitude, a bit difficult, although I like to pretend that altitude doesn't bother me!

Sitting Ptarmigan

We scanned and scanned and asked other photographers with no luck until a nice young man asked me if I was looking for wildlife (that 150-600 mm lens always elicits that question). When I said I was looking for White-Tailed Ptarmigans, he pointed one out, sitting about 15 feet away on a pile of dirt.

Bingo!

I photographed it as it took a little dirt bath and then trundled slowly off over the hill. We had been looking and looking in the rocks and never expected to find the bird in the dirt!

It was very, very bright and hard to discern fine detail (plus it was super windy), so it wasn’t until I got home that I discovered that we had seen a male, not a female as we had originally thought. Sue was happy about that.

Following that little adventure, we were getting ready to go, when I looked over the rock wall by the Rock Cut parking area and saw something else I had been looking for -- an American Pika!

American Pika

Normally, these little guys run from me! I have been trying to get a picture for over a year!

Pika ears

Found in the mountains of western North America, usually in boulder fields at or above the tree line, Pikas are smaller relatives of rabbits and hares.

They range from 6.4 to 8.5 inches long and weigh about 6.0 oz. Males are slightly larger than females.

Pikas have densely furred soles on their feet except for black pads at the ends of the toes. Their ears are moderately large and hairy on both the inside and out (remember, they live in harsh climates).

Pikas inhabit talus fields and piles of broken rock fringed by vegetation on alpine areas. They also live in piles of broken rock. They usually have their den and nest sites below small rocks but often sit on larger and more prominent rocks. Pikas eats a large variety of green plants, including different kinds of grasses, sedges, thistles and fireweed. They cache food in hay piles to use for a food source in the winter (haying), so you often see them carrying vegetation to their nests. Even though they live in very cold place, Pikas do not hibernate, creating much greater energy demands than other mammals that live in alpine areas. They can make 13 trips per hour to collect vegetation when haying, up to a little over 100 trips per day.

American Pika

Pikas are very vocal, using both calls and songs to communicate among themselves. It is far more common to hear their loud chirps than to see them.

Because Pikas are very sensitive to high temperatures, they are considered to be one of the best early warning systems for detecting global warming in the western United States. When temperatures increase, they must move to higher elevations, which is difficult because their habitat is currently restricted to small, disconnected habitat "islands" in numerous mountain ranges. Pikas can die in six hours when exposed to temperatures above 77.9 °F if they can’t find refuge from heat.

American Pika

Then, we traveled down to the Alluvial Fan area looking for an American Three-Toed Woodpecker that had been observed there earlier. I have seen a few (before I was interested in birds) and have a photo, but it’s not a great one.

American Three-Toed Woodpecker, Grand Teton National Park, 2013

I sure would like to get a better one. But, we had no luck. We did see some Steller’s Jays ...

Steller's Jay

... Barn Swallows ...

In the nest

... American Crows ...

Crow

... a House Wren ...

House Wren

... and a Western Tanager (no photo). We also saw a Downy Woodpecker (also no photo) and what we thought was another Downy. But, when I got home and reviewed the photo, it turned out to be a Hairy Woodpecker – a new bird for me.

Hairy Woodpecker

This brought my Life Bird count to 498. I just need two more species to hit my 2018 goal!

On both trips, we tried to find baby elk – always much harder than finding baby moose because the mothers keep them far from the road during the day, only venturing out at dusk. This time, however, I think most of the pregnant cows had not given birth. Of course, we did see some bulls growing some very nice antlers ...